West German State Secretary Hans Globke declined to comment here today on the sentence of life imprisonment handed down yesterday by an East Berlin court, following his conviction in absentia on charges of having helped prepare measures for the mass killing of Jews. More than 70 witnesses were heard in the trial, including representatives of Nazi victims organizations from Poland, Israel and France.
A Christian Democrat Party spokesman said here today that the East German sentence was without legal significance and was the result of a “show trial” by a state based on injustice. Dr.Globke, 64, has announced his intentions of retiring from his Government post later this year.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.